Pakistan

RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Saturday sentenced 47 proclaimed offenders, including prominent PTI leaders Hammad Azhar, Omar Ayub and Zartaj Gul, to 10 years in prison in the May 9 GHQ attack case. District and Sessions Judge Amjad Ali Shah, who presided over ATC No. 1, penned a 16-page detailed judgment, which is available with Dawn. The convicts included Senator Shibli Faraz, Murad Saeed, Shahbaz Gill, Zulfi Bukhari, as well as ex-MNAs Kanwal Shauzab, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Muhammad Ahmed Chattha and Sheikh Rashid Shafique. The court imposed a fine of Rs500,000 each and ordered the confiscation of their property in favour of the state. Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9, 2023, triggered widespread riots across Pakistan, during which government buildings and military installations — including the GHQ in Rawalpindi — were stormed and vandalised. Following the unrest, a crackdown was launched against the PTI, with dozens of terrorism cases lodged against its leaders and supporters. Several of...

The district administration sealed 7 petrol pumps in the federal capital after reports that some stations refused to supply fuel to citizens.

Pakistan Railways on Saturday increased the fares of economy class and air-conditioned class tickets by five per cent and 10pc respectively, following the hike in petrol and diesel prices. According to a statement by the Pakistan Railways spokesperson, the fares of cargo trains have also increased by 20pc The new prices will take effect from Monday, March 9. However, the fare increase will not apply to bookings made in advance, the spokesperson said. He further said that Pakistan Railways will bear the additional burden of operational expenses of passenger trains. The development comes after the government increased the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel by Rs55 per litre, the highest-ever such hike as Pakistan felt the first direct economic impact of the US-Israel war on Iran. The ex-depot price of high-speed diesel was fixed at Rs335.86 per litre for the coming week, up by about 20pc from Rs280.86 per litre. Likewise, the ex-depot price of petrol was revised to Rs321.17 per litre from Rs266.17 per litre...

Pakistan Railways has introduced a new schedule for its reservation offices during the holy month of Ramazan, which has come into effect from today.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari said on Saturday that global war-like conditions were affecting the economy, adding that the recent increase in petrol prices was a difficult decision but would be reversed once the situation improved.

Security forces have destroyed several militant positions during airstrikes in North Waziristan District as part of the ongoing Operation Ghazab Lil-Haq along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, security sources said.

Military consultations between Islamabad and Riyadh following Iranian drone and missile strikes on Saudi territory highlight the delicate strategic balance Pakistan must maintain as the Iran conflict expands beyond its original theatre and begins to affect the security of Gulf states. The statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) after the meeting between the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman, on its face, looks fairly routine and predictable, but when read closely, a careful calibration of language by Pakistan becomes obvious. The Pakistani statement acknowledged the gravity of the situation arising from Iranian drone and missile attacks on the Kingdom and noted that CDF Munir discussed with the Saudi defence minister the measures required to halt them within the framework of the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) between the two countries. This in itself was a signal of solidarity wi...

Security forces killed 15 terrorists in the Harnai and Basima district of Balochistan during two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs), said a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday. “On 05 March 2025, fifteen terrorists belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khwarij and Fitna al Hindustan, were killed in two separate operations in Balochistan,” said the military’s media wing. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, while Fitna al Hindustan is a term designated by the state for terrorist organisations in Balo­chistan. The statement said that an IBO was conducted in Harnai District on the reported “presence of Fitna al Khawarij members”. “During the conduct of [the] operation, [our] own troops effectively engaged the khawarij hideout and after an intense engagement, 12 Indian-sponsored khawarij were sent to hell,” the statement added. In a separate IBO, conducted in the province’s Basima district, military f...

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that his country would never surrender to Israel and the United States, as Middle East war entered its second week. Iran’s enemies “must take their wish for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian people to their graves”, Pezeshkian said, in a speech broadcast on state TV. Israel and the United States launched strikes against Iran on February 28, killing the Islamic republic’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggering a regional conflict. Iran has since responded with missile and drone strikes on Israel and US interests in regional countries, mainly in the Gulf. Pezeshkian is among three members of an interim leadership council that has been in charge of Iran since Khamenei’s killing. During the speech, Pezeshkian apologised to neighbouring countries for Iran’s attacks across the region, saying that they would not be targeted unless attacks originated from them. “I must apologise on my own behalf and on behalf of Iran to the neighbouring countr...

GAWADAR: At least seven people, including a child, were killed and eight others were injured in a road accident at Manjhi on the Makran Coastal Highway in Balochistan, police said on Saturday. The accident occurred when two cars collided after a broken-down gas tanker was left standing on the road. One of the cars was traveling from Gwadar to Karachi, while the other was coming from Karachi to Gwadar, police said. Makran Coastal Highway Police SP Muhammad Aslam Bangalzai said the injured and the bodies were shifted to Ormara Hospital. Earlier this week, three people — including a husband and wife, and another woman — were killed, and two others were injured in a road accident in the province’s Bakhtairabad area. In another incident on February 10, a local journalist from Balochistan, Aziz Lasi, was killed when three vehicles collided on the Quetta-Karachi National Highway in Winder. Additionally, four people, including two brothers, were killed when a passenger bus coming from Karachi hit their car in the Dar...

Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat on Friday said the provincial government was not considering closing schools or shifting classes online, dismissing speculation about possible energy-saving measures in the education sector.

Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir held a meeting with Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman in which both sides discussed Iranian attacks on the kingdom within the framework of the strategic defence cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi on Saturday sentenced 47 proclaimed offenders, including several leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to 10 years in prison in connection with the May 9 attack on the General Headquarters.

Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir met with Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud in Saudi Arabia on Saturday to discuss the ongoing Middle East conflict and Iran’s attacks on Saudi Arabia. A statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued on Saturday said that the CDF visited the Kingdom and met with the defence minister. The two “discussed the gravity of the security situation accruing from Iranian drone and missile attacks on the Kingdom”, as well as joint measures needed to halt them within the framework of the strategic mutual defence agreement signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia last year. According to the statement, it was emphasised that unprovoked aggression undermined efforts for regional security and stability and foreclosed options for the peaceful settlement of disputes. “Both sides expressed hope and desire that brotherly country Iran would manifest prudence and sagacity to avoid any miscalculation and strengthen th...

• Media investigation, officials suggest American forces ‘most likely’ responsible • At least 150 killed in Saturday strike • Washington to investigate the incident GENEVA: The United Nations rights chief demanded a swift and transparent probe Friday into the killing of at least 150 people in a deadly strike on an Iranian elementary school, as a media investigation and US officials indicated the United States was likely responsible. The strike hit the Shajare Tayyebeh elementary school in the southern Iranian town of Minab on the first day of a war last Saturday, according to Iranian officials. UN rights chief Volker Turk condemned “this absolutely tragic incident” and said he hoped investigations would be “prompt, and that they will be done in full transparency”. “We also expect accountability to be served, because obviously mistakes were clearly made,” he told reporters in Geneva. Neither the US nor Israel has claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred near sites controlled by the Islamic Revolut...

Security forces killed 15 militants during two separate intelligence-based operations in Balochistan on March 5, the military’s media wing said on Saturday.

WASHINGTON: Virginia’s legislature has passed a new education law that bars public schools from teaching former President Donald Trump’s version of recent history, particularly regarding the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. Under the measure, approved by the Democratic-controlled Virginia General Assembly, schools cannot present the attack as a “peaceful protest” or claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen through widespread fraud. Instead, teachers are required to describe January 6 as a violent assault on democratic institutions aimed at overturning the election results. Similar efforts are underway in New York. Democratic Representative Chuck Lavine of Long Island has introduced a bill that would require all public school students in the state to learn about the insurrection and its consequences. Lavine said failing to teach an accurate account would be a “grave disservice” to students and to the nation. Trump and his allies have characterised the events of January 6 as patriotic and ...

A total of 97 flights between Pakistan and various Middle Eastern destinations were cancelled on Saturday amid escalating regional tensions, while 58 flights were expected to operate, aviation sources said.

The government has increased the prices of petrol and diesel by Rs55 per litre, citing a sharp rise in international oil prices and the need to ensure an uninterrupted fuel supply in the country.

• Prices of petrol and diesel increased by Rs55 per litre • Levy on petrol raised, diesel lowered by Rs20 each • ‘Highest-ever hike’ announced mere hours after govt assured adequate fuel stocks • Move comes as crude prices drift closer to psychological barrier of $100 per barrel on international market • Proposed fuel conservation plan, including ‘work from home’ and online learning, deferred • PM asks provincial govts to crack down on hoarding of petroleum products ISLAMABAD: Pakistan felt the first direct economic impacts of the US-Israel war on Iran in a big way on Friday, as the government announced a Rs55 per litre increase in petrol and high-speed diesel prices, mere hours after PM Shehbaz Sharif and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb assured the nation that petroleum reserves were sufficient and the situation remained under control. Earlier on Friday, the government shelved a proposed national action plan that envisaged work from home and distance learning measures in response to a potential fuel cris...